The application generally relates to an automation and motion control system. The application relates more specifically to an automation and motion control system for the entertainment industry that uses a distributed control model and independent nodes.
In the entertainment industry, to provide a realistic atmosphere for a theatrical production, theatrical objects or components can be moved or controlled by an automation and motion control system during (and between) scenes on a stage or takes on a motion picture production set. Automation of the movement and control of the theatrical objects or components is desirable for safety, predictability, efficiency, and economics. Prior theatrical object movement and control systems provided for the control and movement of the theatrical objects or components under the control of a central computer or microprocessor. The prior movement and control systems controlled a large number of devices using lists of sequential actions or instructions that were executed by the central computer. For example, the motorized movement of the objects could be provided by drive motors, which may or may not use variable speed drives, coupled to the central computer, possibly through one or more intermediate controllers. The prior theatrical object movement and control systems used a hierarchical order with a definite progression from operator controls to data network to control device to field device.
One drawback to the centralized control of multiple components is that as the number of components in a particular system increases, the processing power or capability of the central controller and the central controller's corresponding communication bandwidth has to likewise increase in order to be able to provide the appropriate control instructions to the components. If the central controller cannot process or transmit the information and instructions fast enough, the components may not perform as expected and/or safety risks could be introduced that could cause damage or injury to both people and property.
Other prior theatrical object movement and control systems use separate subsystems, each having a programmable logic controller (PLC), to handle the control of device functionality. When using PLCs, the operator has to monitor the system via separate inputs from the separate subsystems and then take separate actions for each of the subsystems.
Therefore, what is needed is a control system for a theatrical production that does not use a central controller for processing, but instead distributes the processing load among multiple independent nodes while operating within a single system.